Apparatus for making non-woven pile material

ABSTRACT

A plurality of tows of parallelized strands are supplied to a head to present a compacted, but unconnected, mass of fiber ends in a selected pattern. The exposed ends of the mass are then joined into a unified backing by heat fusing or the like. The mass is then moved out of the head, in a pile length increment by engagement with the pull the strand mass and tension the fiber ends, whereupon the mass is then severed transversely, to form a pile-bearing piece, tile or block of the desired color pattern, density, and pile height.

United States Patent Gidge et al. [4 1 June 27, 1972 [54] APPARATUS FORMAKING NON- 3,359,147 12/1967 Miller ..l56/72 WOVEN PILE MATERIAL3,390,034 6/1968 Hull ..156/72 Inventors: Lester Gidge, 61 Linwood St.;Valmor R. Poulln, Jr., 70 Forest Park Drive, both of Nashua, NH. 03060Filed: Aug. 13, 1969 Appl. No.: 849,828

u.s. c1 ..156/5l0, 156/72 Int. Cl. ....B32b 31/20, B32b 5/02 Field ofSearch 1 56/510, 72, 516

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1967 Forkner 156/72 PrimaryExaminer-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant Examiner-J. V. DoramusAttorney-Pearson & Pearson [5 7] ABSTRACT A plurality of tows ofparallelized strands are supplied to a head to present a compacted, butunconnected, mass of fiber ends in a selected pattern. The exposed endsof the mass are then joined into a unified backing by heat fusing or thelike. The mass is then moved out of the head, in a pile length incrementby engagement with the pull the strand mass and tension the fiber ends,whereupon the mass is then severed transverse- 1y, to form apile-bearing piece, tile or block of the desired color pattern, density,and pile height.

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72am 7 AM ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR MAKING NON-WOVEN PILE MATERIALBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the textile art, looms have long beenused to weave a backing fabric from which an upstanding pile projects,often by providing floating yarns which are cut to create velvet,velveteen, or the like. Woven rugs are similarly made, and by the use ofcomplicated, loom mechanism, particular color patterns can be obtained.It has also been possible to produce short pile non-woven fabric byflocking methods wherein the pile is erected vertically by staticelectricity with the tips embedded in a plastic backing. Color patternsare more difficult to achieve in flocking, and both weaving and flockingrequire costly machinery and considerable time of manufacture.

To achieve a more rapid and less costly non-woven pile material, therehave been many proposals heretofore, wherein bundles of parallelstrands, such as tow roving, roping, etc., are advanced along a paththrough a congealing zone, which may freeze the strands into a block, orimpregnate the bundle with some other congealing, or hardeningsubstance, whereupon slices are cut transversely from the congealedblock, arranged on a backing and fused thereto and then unfrozen, oruncongealed, to become a backed pile fabric.

The frozen block, or slice, type system, is exemplified in US. Pat. No.3,359,147 to Miller of Dec. 19,1967, and involves the thorough wettingof the strands, the attempt to advance a frozen block of strands byfriction engagement, and the attempt to satisfactorily cut the slicesfrom the block, all of which are difficult to accomplish in acommercially acceptable apparatus.

The spraying of a binder, other than water, on the strands to cause themto congeal into a block capable of being severed transversely isexemplified in U. S. Pat. Nos. 2,491,258 and 2,516,559 to Fuhrhop whouses gels as a consolidating medium or other patents in which waxes,amonnium compounds, and the like are suggested as the consolidatingmedium.

Without using any consolidating medium, it has been proposed, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,034 to I-Iull of June 25, 1968, to push or extrude themass of filaments out of a tube, insert a false backing made of cardclothing, cut off the slice while supported on the false backing andapply the slice to an adhesive backing, and then remove the cardclothing backing. Similarly in U. S. Pat. No. 2,438,156 to Dodge of Mar.23, 1948, it was proposed to push the mass out of a tube, transverselysever the slice with a hot wire which also fused the tips into a film,and to cut the resulting slices centrally without heat to formindividual pile pieces. The pushing of a compacted bundle of fibersthrough a mold and the attempting to accurately cut a projecting,unsupported mass of fibers, beyond the end of a mold tube, when the massis free of consolidating medium, has been found to be difficult,especially if the pile is to be long and low in density.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention avoids the use of a zone inwhich the entire mass of strands is spread apart and sprayed, orotherwise exposed, to a liquid consolidating medium, and consequentlyavoids the problems of later removal of the consolidating medium. Italso avoids any attempt to push a compact mass of flexible strandsthrough a die, mold, or tube, whether congealed or uncongealed, by theuse of fluid pistons, or rams, or by the use of sharp edged frictionwheels.

Instead of these prior art proposals, in this invention, theparallelized strand material is supplied directly to a head, free ofconsolidating material, in such a manner that it can be withdrawn, orextracted by a pulling force. The tips of the compacted, unconnectedfibers are exposed to form a planar surface which defines the desiredpattern, and which may cover an area ranging from a one foot block to asmall rug size.

A strand tip unifying element, preferably in the form of a heated plate,is then applied tothe exposed fiber tips to fuse, bond, adhere, orotherwise unify the tips into a thin, coherent,

integral film-like backing. A strand extraction means, preferably in theform of a barbed, suction plate, is then applied to the film-likebacking, preferably while still viscous and tacky, to secure a grip onthe mass and withdraw, or extract, it by a force applied to the backing.When the mass has been extracted from the mold head for the desiredlength of pile, and while the suction plate is still tensioning thefibers into taut condition, the severing means moves transversely tosever the fiber mass and form a pile carrying backing.

In principle, therefore, it will be seen that the feeding and slicing ofthe pile material of the invention are achieved by forming a film-likebacking on the exposed .tips of the fibers and then extracting andsevering the mass by means of the backing, thereby eliminating the needfor any consolidating medium. Using a large enough head, an entirepatterned rug complete with backing, can be made in one operation inthis invention. Usually, however, the apparatus will produce asuccession of individual, identical rigid, or flexible, pile carryingblocks, slices, or pieces, which may be assembled into a composite rug,or other piled product. The invention runs contrary to prior methods inwhich discrete pile elements are formed and then surface bonded onto anadhesive backing in that, in this invention the mass is first surfacebonded to create a backing, and the mass is then severed to divide offthe so created discrete pile element with its built-in film-likebacking. The backing is formed from the tips while they are firmly heldin the head, rather than being formed on a loosely held, limp,projecting mass of fibers to assure that the fibrous pile is normal tothe film backing and not bent or distorted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 to 5 are diagrammatic sideelevations showing the cycle of operation of the apparatus of theinvention when the preferred fusion plate is used;

FIG. 6 is a similar view of an embodiment in which there is no fusionplate and the heated blade is both the fusion and the severing means;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing an embodiment in which thefusion is accomplished by a foam or liquid spray and a chill plate;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front elevation of a fusion plate having a grid ofwire loops for incorporation into the film-like backing;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of a sculptured, or contoured, face on thewithdrawal suction plate;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation, in section, showing an extraction platehaving a plurality of rotatable augers, or corkscrews; and

FIG. 1 l is an enlarged view of the spring-pressed braking means forapplying tension on low density bundles of filaments so that they aretaut when severed.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings, theapparatus 20 of the invention, for making non-woven pile fabric 21,includes the strand supply means 22, the the strand end unifying means23, the strand extraction means 24, the strand severing means 25, andautomatic control means 26 for actuating the parts in synchronization.

STRAND SUPPLY MEANS Strand supply means 22 is free of moisture chambers,spray chambers, strand spreading apparatus, chill jacketed molds ordies, and could be a creel stand supporting a plurality of differentcolored packages of tow, or other parallelized strand material,synthetic or natural, twisted or crimped, sufficient to continuallysupply running lengths of the strands 28 to the head 29. The head 29comprises a battery of closely-spaced, open-ended cells, 36, ofpolygonal rather than circular cross section to eliminate voids, thecells being formed by the terminal ends of a battery of thin walledtubes, or conduits, 31, curved as shown and preferably each at least 2or 3 feet in length and about one-half inch in cross-wise dimension.

A tow, or multiple parallel strand, 28, of synthetic filaments,preferably of the heat fusible type, such as nylon 6, or nylon 66, andina length equal to the length of a tube 31, is threaded into therearward open end 32 of the tube, which is preferably circular in crosssection, by insertion of a hooked, or barbed wire, from the open forwardend 33 of the tube and drawing each tow into the tube to fill it. Eachtube 31 may be of progressively decreasing cross section to compact theunconnected, and unconsolidated, filaments into a mass of increaseddensity, and it will be understood that it would be most difficult topush such a tow through a feed tube, or even to draw it through the tubewithout pinching it in a nip in the manner of draft rolls. The tubes 31serve the purpose of not only storing, guiding, supporting, andcompacting the strands, but also the inside faces 34 of the tubesproduce the correct frictional braking, or retardation, on denselypacked strands, so that when the extraction forces are applied thereto,the strands are pulled taut for severing. A spring bias force on thestrand for tautening and cutting purposes would pull the strandrearwardly and right out of the tube, so that the retardation force ispreferably frictional wall contact for high density strands such as twohundred ends per inch, and is a sidewise spring frictional contact forlow density strands, such as 100 ends per inch (FIG. 1 1). The tubes 31may be of any desired length, depending on floor space, density of theends, the height of the desired pile and other manufacturingconsiderations.

The face of heat 29 forms a grid, or honeycomb, 35, of polygonal cells36, which may be nine or twelve inches square if a flexible block, orsemi-rigid tile, of pile carrying material is to be made for inclusionin, for example, a rug of larger area in a repeat colored pattern. Thehead 29 and grid 35 may be several feet in dimension to form a smallrug, or, preferably, may be about 1 foot in height and or more feet inlength to produce a series of elongated piled strips successively.Preferably a peripheral, projecting frame 37 is spring mounted on thehead 29 to confine the mass of strands when withdrawn a pile lengththerefrom, but arranged to yield rearwardly out of the way when thefusion plate advances up to the head 29.

A particular tube 31 may be all one color of strand, or it may beseveral colors, and a partition may be inserted across the cellto keepthe colors separate. Upon being threaded, the terminal ends of thestrands in each cell of the grid 35 are exposed and form a planar face38, the ends being unconnected but ready to be fused or otherwiseunified into a film-like backing by the strand end unifying means 23.

STRAND END UNIFYING MEANS Strand end unifying means 23 is preferably aplate 40, having a face 41 heated by suitable means, such as electricresistance units flexibly connected by cable 42 to a source of currentnot shown. The strands 28 are preferably of thermoplastic materialhaving a predetermined melting point, for example, nylon 6, with amelting point of about 450 F., nylon 66 with a melting point of 509 F.,or the like, and the face 41 is heated to well above that temperature,for example, to 850 F. This is for the reason that at such temperature,any accumulation of the nylon on the plate is burned off, and also topermit an instantaneous, short, contact of the face 41 with the planarface 38 of the exposed terminal tips of the mass of strands, to fuse thetips into a cohesive, film-like backing 43. It is the film-like backing43 which unifies the mass of strands, and by which the strands may besubsequently handled, withdrawn from the head, held taut for severing,and constituting the backing for the pile 44 on the piece, block, ortile 21.

The melt viscosity of the selected material of strands 28, when nylon 6,is in the vicinity of 200-700 poises. Melt spun polyester filaments mayhave melt viscosities as high as 26,000

poises and be useable in the method disclosed herein.

The strands are made of heat fusible material such as thermoplasticsynthetic polymers. Examples of such polymers include polyethylene;polypropylenej polycarbonates; polyurethanes; polystyrene; copolymers ofvinyl acetate and vinyl chloride; the copolymers of vinylidene chlorideand a minor proportion of vinyl chloride; linear polyesters of aromaticdicarboxylic acids and dihydric compounds, such as polymeric ethyleneterephthalate; linear polycarbonamides (generally known as nylons) suchas polymeric hexamethylene adipamide (nylon-66) and polymeric6-arninocaproic acid (nylon 6) and other fiber-forming thermoplasticpolymers.

There are certain strands, such as cotton, wool, and the like, that arenot melt fusible and hence, cannot be used alone. Furthermore, certainheat-fusible thermoplastic strands, such as Acrilan acrylic fiber madeby Monsanto, are not entirely suitable in that due to their high meltviscosities, the molten materials do not readily spread into a desirablecontinuous unbroken sheet. For such fiber strands, this inventionprovides a supply 46 of thin plastic sheets, such as the nylon sheet 47,the sheets being stored in roll, fan-folded, or sheet magazine form, asat 48, and automatically fed downwardly to cover the planar face 38 ofthe tips of the non-fusible strands just before the hot plate40 reachesthe tips on its fusion stroke. By this means the hot plate melts thenylon, or other sheet, while the exposed tips of the non-heat fusiblestrands embed themselves in the film to form the desired backing 43. I

As best shown in FIG. 8, it has been found useful to apply a grille 50of fine metal wire 51 to the planar face 38 of the exposed tips, so thatthe grille will be embedded in the film-like backing 43 when formed bythe hot plate 40. The grille 50 is so dimensioned that it is of slightlygreater area than the face 38, whereby the selvedge loops 52 extendoutside the backing entirely around the periphery. Each resultingpile-carrying piece, or tile, 21, is thus flexible, and can be assembledinto a larger rug by bending the adjacent wire loops 52 into a hookedconnection. Replacement of a damaged portion is thus easy and no otherbacking is needed to unify the larger rug. In addition, wire 51 ispreferably an electrical conductor so that it is useful as a means toavoid, and discharge, static electricity by suitably grounding theoutside loops 52. The wire grilles 50 may be substituted for the nylonsheets in. magazine 48, or may be contained in a similar magazine 53ready for use when desired.

A semi-rigid, or rigid, pile-carrying piece, or block 21, is alsoobtainable by means of this invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a magazine 55similar to magazines 48 and 53, is provided, or a fan-fold, or rollsupply, if preferred, by which a plurality of relatively thick sheets 56may be individually and successively fed downwardly to cover the face 38just after the heat fusion stroke. Each sheet 56 is formed of a suitablematerial 57, such as asphalt, or rubber tile composition, or the like.Thus the hot plate 40 may be raised to the desired temperature and heldin place for the required time to melt the face 38 and form a filmbacking 43. The face 58 of sheet 56 is then bonded to the melted tips ofthe strands to thereby form a pilecarrying tile useful in place ofconventional tile to give a carpet-like floor or wall surface.

STRAND EXTRACTION MEANS Strand extraction means 24 is preferably in theform of a plate 60 carried on the end of a piston rod 61, reciprocablein a double action, fluid cylinder 62 and actuated by fluid conduits 63and 64 from a suitable fluid pressure source 65 controlled by automaticcontrol means 26, which includes a cycle timer 66. For diagrammaticconvenience the hot plate 40 has been shown gravity operated and with aninclined face 67 engaged by roller cam follower 68 carried by extractionplate 60. Thus, as the extraction plate 60 withdraws with a piece 21,the fusion plate 40 advances on its fusion stroke, and as the extractionplate advances to engage the film-like backing 43 formed by the fusionplate 40, the later is retracted. In one embodiment, the fusion plate 40preferably advances normal to the planar face 38 to avoid wiping orbending the fiber tips sidewise just prior to fusion. A dwell 69 in camface 67 permits the extraction plate to halt at a pile length distancefrom face 38, while holding the strands taut for severance and whileholding the hot plate out of the way.

Extraction plate 60 is preferably formed of a plurality of individual,metal strips, or bars, 71 and 72, extending horizontally and connectedalternately in groups so that alternate bars 71 may be advanced beyondthe stationary group of bars 72 and then retracted behind the bars 72 ofthat group. This constitutes a stripping mechanism and the bars 71 aremoved by flexible cables 73 under the control of means 26 and timer 66when the extraction plate is in its rearward position (FIG. 5). Narrowsuction slots 74 are provided between the bars 71 and 72 and connectedby flexible conduit 75 to a source of suction 76. Extending verticallyon the planar extraction face 77 formed by bars 71 and 72 are aplurality of hooked barbs 78, formed by parallel projecting ribs 79which have been undercut at 80 at spaced distances therealong to formthe hooked barbs 78.

The barbed, suction face 83 of the extraction plate 60, as shown in FIG.9, may be sculptured, or otherwise shaped, in a reverse pattern, as at84, so that when it advances, subsequent to the heat fusion step, toengage and grip the still hot and tacky film-like backing 43, it willimpress its shape on the planar face 38 to create the desired obversesculptured design.

It should be especially noted that the barbed, suction face 83, uponbeing pressed against the tacky, hot-melt face 38, with suction beingapplied in the slots 74, not only draws the hot plastic film under thehooked barbs 78, for firm embedment over the entire surface area, but italso tends to orient the plastic in the film-like backing 43 into astronger sheet than if heat alone were applied. For example, when thefibers are of nylon 6, and the hot plate 40 has been applied at about850 F and retracted and the suction plate 60 is then applied withinabout one second at about 6-15 inches of suction, the backing is sotough that it is most difficult to tear it by an even pull or even tobreak it by bending it back upon itself. On the other hand, with allconditions the same, but in the absence of the suction, the backing issomewhat brittle and tends to break and tear more easily.

As shown in FIG. 10, an extraction plate 85 may be provided with aplurality of spaced rotatable corkscrews, or augers 86, projectingforwardly and power rotatable by the battery of enmeshed gears 87 andthe flexible drive cable 88 powered from the control 66. The corkscrews86 are arranged to turn just sufficiently to secure a good penetrationin the film-like backing 43 which may be cold and solid, or hot andtacky, so that upon withdrawal they will extract the strand mass fromthe head for severing. The corkscrews 86 may be used on plate 60 inplace of the barbs 78 if desired, and the holes made by the corkscrews86 close over, upon reverse rotation thereof for stripping, althoughthey may be open if breathing of the fabric is desired.

It will be understood that the suction, hooked-barb, plate 60, or thecork-screw carrying plate 85, both are for the purpose of withdrawing,or extracting the strand from the head by pulling on a film-like backing43 formed by the fusion plate 40. In one modification of the invention,shown in FIG. 6, however, the inside face 90 of the film-like backing 91is used for pushing the strand from the inside out of the head 92, thisbeing an extraction force as far as the strands 28 are concerned. Anopen cellular grid 93 is mounted to reciprocate around and between thewalls of the cells of a slightly smaller grid 94 formed by the terminalends of the tubular conduits 31, so that when the exterior extractiongrid 93 moves in the direction of feed, it engages the inside face 90 offilm 43, just as do the hooked barbs 78 or the turned cork-screws 86,and pulls, or draws, the strand 28 out of head for the desired length ofpile 89. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the strand end unifying means 23and the strand severing means 25 have been combined in one relativelywide endless band-saw blade 95, which is heated to the desired fusiontemperature, such as 450 to 900 F. by passage through a heating zone 96,or by any other convenient means and forms a platelike unifying elementsimilar to fusion plate 40 which melts the terminal ends 97 of thestrands on both sides of the cut as it travels through the mass ofstrands. The blade 95 is not a hot wire, since it is intended to formthe film-like backing 43 by wiping contact, and not merely to cut thestrands. The hot, wide blade 95 is preferably dimpled as at 98, for bestresults, and is preferably followed by, or accompanied by, a cold, wideendless blade 99 for solidifying the backing 43. In the embodimerit ofFIG. 6 a film 43 is first fonned by blade 95 while the terminal ends ofthe strands project only slightly from the head. The exterior grid 93 isthen advanced, by flexible cable connection 100, to control 66, toadvance the mass by film 43 a distance equal to twice pile length,whereupon grid 93 is retracted, air from source 101 jetted outwardlyfrom head 92 to tauten the projecting mass, and blade 95 again traversedto sever a double film faced piece 102. The pieces 102 are later cutcentrally into individual pile-carrying pieces 21.

STRAND SEVERING MEANS As explained above, the strand severing means 25is preferably a wide, endless band saw blade 104, which may be heatedand dimpled as at 95 if used to heat-fuse a film, but which otherwise issimply a sharp-edged wire, blade, or other cutter, and which could be apower disc saw, a laser beam, or any other suitable device. It is showndiagrammatically in FIGS. 1-7, as trained around sheaves 105 on avertically movable frame 106 which is raised and lowered by fluid piston107 and cylinder 108 from a suitable fluid pressure source, under thecontrol of means 26 and timer 66. The blade 104, as shown in FIG. 4moves transversely of the mass of fibers in the space between the head29 and the suction plate 60 to sever the fibers while held taut betweenthe same. Upon being severed, the backing 43 and its pile 44 is carriedrearwardly on extraction plate 60 (1 16. 5) to the rearward position,whereupon the stripper bars 71 first advance and then retract, to unhookthe fabric block, or piece, 21, to fall into a hopper not shown.

Preferably, the air source 101, feeds jets of air outwardly from thehead 29, from within the mass, by means of flat, elongated, nozzles, ornarrow emission slots, 106, at high pressure to fluff out the terminalends of the fibers and maintain the same normal to the face 38 justprior to and during the fusion step, all under the control of valve 120,means 26, and timer While the prior art has taught various ways ofhandling tightly compacted bundles of parallelized fibers by pushing thesame through a mold, placing a wrapper around the bundle and pushing it,etc., such devices and methods will only produce highly compacted densepile, and this is not always commercially desirable. This inventiontherefore contemplates handling less densely compacted bundles, such asends to the inch, rather than 200 ends to the inch or more, and it willbe understood that such a bundle is limp, non-self supporting, andeasily bent, or compressed sidewise. In order to provide a braking, orretarding, force even when the bundle of fibers in each cell, or tube,of head 29 is so loose and flufiy as to not be appreciablyfriction-retarded by the tube walls, the braking means 110 is provided.Braking means 110 is mounted in each cell 36 of head 29 and comprises afirst pair of spring leaf clamp arms 111 and 112 which resiliently andyieldably compress the tow from two opposite sides, and a second pair ofspring leaf clamp arms 113 and 114 which resiliently and yieldablycompress the tow from the other two opposite sides. The less dense towsare thus capable of being pulled out of the cells but only against theadjustable retarding force of the spring anns.

In FIG. 7 another modification is shown, in which the freezeconsolidation of the prior art is used, but not for the entire strandand not with sidewise application of chill molds. As in the case of theheat fusion plate 40, the chillplate 115 is applied endwise of theterminal tips 116 of the strands 28, forming the planar face 38 face 38,as a plate-like, unifying element, maintained at a predeterminedtemperature, for joining the exposed strand ends to each other. Chillingoccurs after the face 38 has been sprayed with a moist or liquid waterspray from the orifices 117 carried by plate 115 and connected to asuitable source of freezable liquid 118. Chill plate 1 is connected to asuitable refrigerator mechanism 1 19, of a commercially available typeand maintained at a temperature of about 40 below zero to instantlyfreeze, or frost, the water spray into a film-like backing 122, in whichthe tips 116 are temporarily embedded and anchored, the remainder of thestrands being free of water and frost or ice. An internal, reciprocalgrid, such as 93, may then extract by pushing from the inside againstthe frozen backing, or a barbed suction plate 60 may be used as shown toextract. The pile is then cut and the piece 121 deposited on a conveyorfor attachment to a backing by melting a portion of the frozen backingand applying an adhesive in the manner of the Miller patent mentionedabove.

It will be understood that the apparatus and method of this inventioncan be used with many other strand materials to make pile products, forexample, polypropylene ribbon can be so used. It is for that reason thatI use the tenn strand, meaning thereby to include filamentary, man-madefibers spun natural fiber yarns, ribbons, tapes, or any other elongated,flexible material intended to form a pile, whether in tow, sliver,roping, roving, or other form, and whether the pile material is to be inshag rug form, wig form, artificial lawn, or ski slope surface, or thelike. Similarly, while the invention is especially intended to createcolored pattern rug type designs, it is equally useful in makinguncolored pile piece goods, for later dyeing into designs.

For materials not readily melt fusible, a melt fusible powder or a meltfusible liquid substance may be sprayed on the terminal tips forming theplanar face 38, just prior to application of the fusion plate. Astrippable adhesive can also be used,such as heat-activated adhesivesand pressure sensitive adhesives. Such adhesive materials are made froma variety of complex chemical compositions. Typical ingredients used inpressure-sensitive adhesives generally include an elastomer, such as arubber, tacktifier, such as gum resin, a plasticizer, such as lanolin,fillers and anti-oxidants. Teflon (polymeric tetra fluor ethylene) canalso be used as a coating on an unbarbed extraction plate, since thepiece may be easily stripped from the extraction plate when cooled.

The non-woven, pile fabric product of this invention difiers from theproducts disclosed in prior patents, in that the outstanding portions ofthe strands, which form the pile, have not been subjected to, or exposedto, ice, or other solidifying mediums so that the medium must later be.removed and may have damaged the fibers. Similarly the pile product ofthe invention can be made by the process thereof, without requiring adense, compact mass, or bundle, and without requiring that the fibers beshort so that they will project unsupported from a head while a knifeblade cuts off a slice thereof.

By reason of the formation of the backing film 43, the suction platesupport of the strands during severing and the tautening effect of thesuction plate and retarding means 1 10, the pile strands 44 can be lessdense, non-self supporting and normally limp, but still be held taut andprecisely cut to form a smooth face. Similarly, even if the pile has adensity of less than one hundred ends to the inch and each strand 44 isseveral inches in length, for example in a shag rug, it is held taut andprecisely cut to form a novel fabric not heretofore obtainable by such aprocess without solidifying the mass prior to cutting.

The pile fabric product 21, may be of any desired area, depending on thearea of the head 29, to form a rug, or to be assembled, in any known ordesired manner, into a rug or other pile product.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric from a plurality ofelongated pile-forming strands, said apparatus comprising:

strand supply means, supporting said strands for withdrawal, said meansterminating in a head of predetep mined cross sectional area presentingthe exposed terminal ends of said strands as a compacted but unconnectedmass defining a substantially planar face;

strand end unifying means, including a plate-like unifying element,maintained at a predetermined temperature and operably associated with,and movable relative to, said head for joining said exposed strand endswhile said strand ends are supported in said head into a cohesive,film-like backing by which said strands may be withdrawn from saidstrand supply means;

strand extraction means, including an element engageable with saidfilm-like backing while said strand ends are supported in said head, andoperably associated with, and movable relative to, said head, forpulling a predetermined length of said strands from said head byengagement with said backing, and

strand severing means, operably associated with said head, and movabletransversely thereof between said head and said-film-like backing forsevering said withdrawn strands to form a flexible fabric piece havingpile of predetermined length projecting from said film-like backing.

2. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said head comprises a grid, or honeycomb openwork, formed of amultiplicity of close spaced open tubular cells, each tubular cell beingthe terminus of one of a multiplicity of elongated tubular guides, eachcontaining a bundle of strands of a selected color to define a pattern,

each said tubular cell encompassing one of said bundles to ofier closesupport to said strands during severance thereof while maintaining theintegrity of said pattern.

3. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said head comprises a multiplicity of closely spaced open cells, forminga honeycomb type openwork to maintain the integrity of a pre-selectedcolored pattern and each said cell includes two, right angularlydisposed pairs of spring braking arms adapted to compact ,the strandspassing therethrough while applying tension thereon against the pull ofsaid extraction means during severing of said strands.

4. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strands are of fusible plastic material and said plate-likeunifying element of said strand end unifying means is a smooth, heatedfusion plate adapted to engage said planar face and melt said strandends to fuse into said cohesive film-like backing.

5. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strands are of non-fusible material and said strand end unifyingmeans includes a heating member and a thin sheet of heat fusible plasticmaterial interposed between said member and said ends to fuse said endsinto said backing.

6. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strand end unifying means is a hot plate and includes a grille offine, strong wire having loops projecting entirely therearound, saidgrille being integrally bonded to said ends during the unificationthereof by said hot plate,

whereby the resulting flexible, pile fabric pieces may be assembledtogether into a pattern by interconnecting said integral projectingloops.

7. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strand extraction means is a barbed, suction plate, said platehaving a reverse sculptured surface in a predetermined pattern,

whereby the pile in the resultant severed piece of pile fabric has anobverse sculptured surface.

8. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strand end unifying means is a hot plate and'includes means forinterposing a relatively thick layer of heat settable plastic backingmaterial between said ends and said plate while said strand ends aresupported in said head to form a relatively rigid backing on theresultant piece of pile fabric;

whereby said piece forms a pile-carrying plastic tile.

9. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strand end unifying means and said strand severing means both areformed by at least one heated, endless cutting blade arranged to seversaid strands as it fuses the severed portions thereof into a unifiedfilm-like backing.

10. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said head comprises a grid, or honeycomb openwork, of

open ended, closely spaced cells and said strand extraction means is acorresponding grid of said cells, mounted to move axially and slidablyon said first named grid;

said second named grid advancing said mass of strands out of said headby pushing against the inner face of each successive film-like backingformed by said unifying means thereby pulling said mass of strands outof said head and maintaining tension thereon during severance.

l 1. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strand extraction means is a plate-like support co-extensive inarea with said head, said support including a plurality of spacedcorkscrew, or auger, elements and means for rotating said elements topenetrate said backing and grip the same for withdrawal.

12. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strand extraction means is a plate-like support, divided by suctionslots into strips alternately axially movable in opposite axialdirections and wherein said strips each include a multiplicity ofundercut, hook-like barbs,

said suction slots drawing a still melted backing into the undercuts ofsaid barbs to firmly grip said backing and said alternate, axially,movable strips sewing to strip said backing from said barbed plate.

13. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said apparatus includes spray means for thoroughly moistening saidexposed ends of said strands and cooling the same to just above freezingtemperature of said moisture,

and said plate-like unifying element of said strand end unifying meanscomprises a freeze plate maintained at a temperature of well below saidfreezing temperature, and applied endwise to said exposed ends to unifysaid ends into said film-like backing.

14. Apparatus as specified in claim I wherein:

said strand supply means includes a close packed mass of thin walledtubes, each encompassing an individual bundle of said strands andsupporting the same during severance, the walls of said tubesfrictionally retarding the advance of the bundle therewithin to hold thesame taut during said pulling and severance thereof.

15. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said strand end unifying means includes a hot plate for making saidplanar face tacky and said strand extraction means includes anextraction plate divided into a plurality of individual metal stripsconnected alternately in groups, one group being movable relative to theother, said strips having an extraction face with a plurality of sharpelements thereon and mechanism for advancing and retracting said stripswhen said extraction face is pressed against said tacky planar face.

whereby said sharp elements obtain a grip in said tacky backing whileorienting the material thereof.

16. Apparatus for making a non-woven pile fabric of relatively lowdensity of pile from continuous, filamentary, synthetic strand material,said apparatus comprising:

strand supply means, including a grid of open-ended, tubular conduitsdefining a predetermined pattern and supporting tows of various colorsin compacted, but unconnected, condition for withdrawal, with the massof exposed strand ends defining a planar face;

strand end unifying means including a plate, heated to well above themelting point of said strands, and movable toward and away from saidface to fuse said ends into a cohesive, film-like backing,

strand extraction means including a plate, having sharp elements thereonadapted to be embedded in said backing, when in melted condition, andhaving stripper mechanism thereon, said plate being movable toward andaway from said face to grip said backing, extract a predetermined lengthof said strands and hold the same under tension;

strand severing means movable transversely between said grid and saidretracted extraction means to sever a predetermined length of pile fromsaid strands while said strands are under said tension; and automaticcontrol means for actuating said unifying means, said extraction meansand said severing means successively to produce a plurality ofindividual flexible pile fabric pieces adapted to be included in anoverall pile fabric design. 17. Apparatus as specified in claim 16,wherein: said strand extraction means includes a plurality of meta]strips, each supporting some said sharp elements, and alternatelymovable toward and away from said planar face and includes means formoving said strips to orient the material of said film-like backing. 18.Apparatus as specified in claim 16 wherein: said extraction meansincludes a plurality of strips forming said plate and carrying saidsharp elements, mechanism for moving said strips to orient the materialof said filmlike backing and suction slot means for drawing saidmaterial into the grip of said sharp elements. 19. Apparatus for makinga non-woven, pile fabric, said apparatus comprising:

strand supply means, including a battery of tubular strand guides,terminating in a pattern head of predetermined area, for parallelizingrunning lengths of pile-forming strands into a relatively close packedmass of exposed, strand ends in a predetermined pattern framed in saidhead; strand end unifying means, operably associated with said patternhead, said means including a hot plate, coextensive in area with saidhead, and movable toward and away therefrom, for joining said strandends into a cohesive film-like backing; extraction means operablyassociated with said pattern head, and movable relative thereto, saidmeans comprising a barbed, suction plate for contacting said film-likebacking and withdrawing a predetermined length of said strands, readyfor transverse severance into a pile, and

strand severing means operably associated with said pattern head andmovable in a path between said extraction means and said pattern head,said means including an endless band saw for cutting said strands into aflexible, fabric piece having an integral backing with a patternedupstanding pile. strand extraction means including a plate, having sharpelements thereon adapted to be embedded in said backing, when in meltedcondition, and having stripper mechanism thereon, said plate beingmovable toward and away from said face to grip said backing, extract apredetermined length of said strands and hold the same under tension;

strand severing means movable transversely between said grid and saidretracted extraction means to sever a predetermined length of pile fromsaid strands while said strands are under said tension;

and automatic control means for actuating said unifying means, saidextraction means and said severing means successively to produce aplurality of individual flexible pile fabric pieces adapted to beincluded in an overall pile fabric design.

20. Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric from a plurality ofelongated pile-forming strands, said apparatus comprising:

strand supply means supporting said strands for withdrawal,

said means terminating in a head of predetermined cross sectional areapresenting the exposed terminal ends of said strands as a compacted, butunconnected, mass defining a substantially planar face;

release said backing, and

strand severing means, mounted to move transversely between said headand said film-like backing while said backing is engaged by saidextraction means while said strands are held taut thereby, for severingsaid strands to form a flexible fabric piece with a preformed film-likebacking and with a preformed pile or predetermined length projectingfrom said backing.

t k i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,673,048 I Dated June 27, 1972 Inventor(s) Lester Gidge and Valmbr R.Poulin, Jr.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent, andthat said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

ABSTRACT, line 6 insert "backing and" after "with the" and before"pull".

' Signed and sealed this 17th day pf April 1973 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER ,JR'. ROBERT GO TTSCHALK Attesting Officer I fCommissioner of Patents FORM PO-1050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 t u.sGOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I969 0-366-334

1. Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric from a plurality ofelongated pile-forming strands, said apparatus comprising: strand supplymeans, supporting said strands for withdrawal, said means terminating ina head of predetermined cross sectional area presenting the exposedterminal ends of said strands as a compacted but unconnected massdefining a substantially planar face; strand end unifying means,including a plate-like unifying element, maintained at a predeterminedtemperature and operably associated with, and movable relative to, saidhead for joining said exposed strand ends while said strand ends aresupported in said head into a cohesive, film-like backing by which saidstrands may be withdrawn from said strand supply means; strandextraction means, including an element engageable with said film-likebacking while said strand ends are supported in said head, and operablyassociated with, and movable relative to, said head, for pulling apredetermined length of said strands from said head by engagement withsaid backing, and strand severing means, operably associated with saidhead, and movable transversely thereof between said head and saidfilmlike backing for severing said withdrawn strands to form a flexiblefabric piece having pile of predetermined length projecting from saidfilm-like backing.
 2. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: saidhead comprises a grid, or honeycomb openwork, formed of a multiplicityof close spaced open tubular cells, each tubular cell being the terminusof one of a multiplicity of elongated tubular guides, each containing abundle of strands of a selected color to define a pattern, each saidtubular cell encompassing one of said bundles to offer close support tosaid strands during severance thereof while maintaining the inTegrity ofsaid pattern.
 3. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said headcomprises a multiplicity of closely spaced open cells, forming ahoneycomb type openwork to maintain the integrity of a pre-selectedcolored pattern and each said cell includes two, right angularlydisposed pairs of spring braking arms adapted to compact the strandspassing therethrough while applying tension thereon against the pull ofsaid extraction means during severing of said strands.
 4. Apparatus asspecified in claim 1 wherein: said strands are of fusible plasticmaterial and said plate-like unifying element of said strand endunifying means is a smooth, heated fusion plate adapted to engage saidplanar face and melt said strand ends to fuse into said cohesivefilm-like backing.
 5. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: saidstrands are of non-fusible material and said strand end unifying meansincludes a heating member and a thin sheet of heat fusible plasticmaterial interposed between said member and said ends to fuse said endsinto said backing.
 6. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: saidstrand end unifying means is a hot plate and includes a grille of fine,strong wire having loops projecting entirely therearound, said grillebeing integrally bonded to said ends during the unification thereof bysaid hot plate, whereby the resulting flexible, pile fabric pieces maybe assembled together into a pattern by interconnecting said integralprojecting loops.
 7. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: saidstrand extraction means is a barbed, suction plate, said plate having areverse sculptured surface in a predetermined pattern, whereby the pilein the resultant severed piece of pile fabric has an obverse sculpturedsurface.
 8. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand endunifying means is a hot plate and includes means for interposing arelatively thick layer of heat settable plastic backing material betweensaid ends and said plate while said strand ends are supported in saidhead to form a relatively rigid backing on the resultant piece of pilefabric; whereby said piece forms a pile-carrying plastic tile. 9.Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand end unifyingmeans and said strand severing means both are formed by at least oneheated, endless cutting blade arranged to sever said strands as it fusesthe severed portions thereof into a unified film-like backing. 10.Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said head comprises a grid,or honeycomb openwork, of open ended, closely spaced cells and saidstrand extraction means is a corresponding grid of said cells, mountedto move axially and slidably on said first named grid; said second namedgrid advancing said mass of strands out of said head by pushing againstthe inner face of each successive film-like backing formed by saidunifying means thereby pulling said mass of strands out of said head andmaintaining tension thereon during severance.
 11. Apparatus as specifiedin claim 1 wherein: said strand extraction means is a plate-like supportco-extensive in area with said head, said support including a pluralityof spaced corkscrew, or auger, elements and means for rotating saidelements to penetrate said backing and grip the same for withdrawal. 12.Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand extraction meansis a plate-like support, divided by suction slots into stripsalternately axially movable in opposite axial directions and whereinsaid strips each include a multiplicity of undercut, hook-like barbs,said suction slots drawing a still melted backing into the undercuts ofsaid barbs to firmly grip said backing and said alternate, axially,movable strips serving to strip said backing from said barbed plate. 13.Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said apparatus includes spraymeans for thoroughly moistening said exposed ends of said strands andcooling the same to just above freezing temperature of said moisture,and said plate-like unifying element of said strand end unifying meanscomprises a freeze plate maintained at a temperature of well below saidfreezing temperature, and applied endwise to said exposed ends to unifysaid ends into said film-like backing.
 14. Apparatus as specified inclaim 1 wherein: said strand supply means includes a close packed massof thin walled tubes, each encompassing an individual bundle of saidstrands and supporting the same during severance, the walls of saidtubes frictionally retarding the advance of the bundle therewithin tohold the same taut during said pulling and severance thereof. 15.Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein: said strand end unifyingmeans includes a hot plate for making said planar face tacky and saidstrand extraction means includes an extraction plate divided into aplurality of individual metal strips connected alternately in groups,one group being movable relative to the other, said strips having anextraction face with a plurality of sharp elements thereon and mechanismfor advancing and retracting said strips when said extraction face ispressed against said tacky planar face. whereby said sharp elementsobtain a grip in said tacky backing while orienting the materialthereof.
 16. Apparatus for making a non-woven pile fabric of relativelylow density of pile from continuous, filamentary, synthetic strandmaterial, said apparatus comprising: strand supply means, including agrid of open-ended, tubular conduits defining a predetermined patternand supporting tows of various colors in compacted, but unconnected,condition for withdrawal, with the mass of exposed strand ends defininga planar face; strand end unifying means including a plate, heated towell above the melting point of said strands, and movable toward andaway from said face to fuse said ends into a cohesive, film-likebacking, strand extraction means including a plate, having sharpelements thereon adapted to be embedded in said backing, when in meltedcondition, and having stripper mechanism thereon, said plate beingmovable toward and away from said face to grip said backing, extract apredetermined length of said strands and hold the same under tension;strand severing means movable transversely between said grid and saidretracted extraction means to sever a predetermined length of pile fromsaid strands while said strands are under said tension; and automaticcontrol means for actuating said unifying means, said extraction meansand said severing means successively to produce a plurality ofindividual flexible pile fabric pieces adapted to be included in anoverall pile fabric design.
 17. Apparatus as specified in claim 16,wherein: said strand extraction means includes a plurality of metalstrips, each supporting some said sharp elements, and alternatelymovable toward and away from said planar face and includes means formoving said strips to orient the material of said film-like backing. 18.Apparatus as specified in claim 16 wherein: said extraction meansincludes a plurality of strips forming said plate and carrying saidsharp elements, mechanism for moving said strips to orient the materialof said film-like backing and suction slot means for drawing saidmaterial into the grip of said sharp elements.
 19. Apparatus for makinga non-woven, pile fabric, said apparatus comprising: strand supplymeans, including a battery of tubular strand guides, terminating in apattern head of predetermined area, for parallelizing running lengths ofpile-forming strands into a relatively close packed mass of exposed,strand ends in a predetermined pattern framed in said head; strand endunifying means, operably associated with said pattern head, said meansincluding a hot plate, coextensive in area with said head, and movabletoward and away therefrom, for joining said strand ends into a cohEsivefilm-like backing; extraction means operably associated with saidpattern head, and movable relative thereto, said means comprising abarbed, suction plate for contacting said film-like backing andwithdrawing a predetermined length of said strands, ready for transverseseverance into a pile, and strand severing means operably associatedwith said pattern head and movable in a path between said extractionmeans and said pattern head, said means including an endless band sawfor cutting said strands into a flexible, fabric piece having anintegral backing with a patterned upstanding pile. strand extractionmeans including a plate, having sharp elements thereon adapted to beembedded in said backing, when in melted condition, and having strippermechanism thereon, said plate being movable toward and away from saidface to grip said backing, extract a predetermined length of saidstrands and hold the same under tension; strand severing means movabletransversely between said grid and said retracted extraction means tosever a predetermined length of pile from said strands while saidstrands are under said tension; and automatic control means foractuating said unifying means, said extraction means and said severingmeans successively to produce a plurality of individual flexible pilefabric pieces adapted to be included in an overall pile fabric design.20. Apparatus for making a non-woven, pile fabric from a plurality ofelongated pile-forming strands, said apparatus comprising: strand supplymeans supporting said strands for withdrawal, said means terminating ina head of predetermined cross sectional area presenting the exposedterminal ends of said strands as a compacted, but unconnected, massdefining a substantially planar face; a strand end unifying plate,mounted to move toward and away from said face, and maintained at apredetermined temperature, said plate joining the exposed ends of saidstrands into a cohesive film-like backing by which said strands may bewithdrawn by pulling from said head; a strand extraction means, mountedto move toward and away from said film-like backing to engage saidbacking and advance the same out of said head a predetermined distance,pull the strands taut for severance and then release said backing, andstrand severing means, mounted to move transversely between said headand said film-like backing while said backing is engaged by saidextraction means while said strands are held taut thereby, for severingsaid strands to form a flexible fabric piece with a preformed film-likebacking and with a preformed pile or predetermined length projectingfrom said backing.